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ebokhyllami's review against another edition
5.0
Idag skal jeg nøye meg med en kort omtale! Dette er femte boka fra Cain og seriemordersken Gretchen Lowell er igjen midtpunktet som psykoseksuell friste(morde)rinne med politietterforsker Archie Sheridan på hjul. Cain klarer det utrolige, nemlig å holde på spenningen i nok en historie om beauty-killeren. Jeg er særdeles imponert! Jeg har nemlig sterke tendenser til å dette av lasset når det blir for mye, og det blir det fort for min tålmodighet! Det sier imidlertid sitt at jeg har forhåndsbestilt bok 6 i rekken av Cain-utgivelser (kommer i august) og har allerede nedlastet fra Amazon den fjerde boka - den som IKKE omhandler Gretchen siden hun for en gangs skyld sitter i ro bak lås og slå. Det er noe besnærende fengslende med atmosfæren som Cain klarer å skape - igjen og igen. Jeg får rett og slett ikke nok! Kill You Twice ble som de andre bøkene fortært på under 2 dager med meg klistret til ebok-sidene. Hjelpe og trøste - er jeg blitt seriemorderavhengig??
fromtheyellowchair's review against another edition
5.0
Without a doubt the best book so far in the series. The ending absolutely blew my mind. I can't wait to start the next one.
natdeleon's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
twildsmith's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing will compare to "Heartsick" but it was still a fun read. Certainly not the best in the series.
aw_reads's review
3.0
I remember randomly picking Heartsick from a list of recommendations on my nook a few years ago, not expecting much.
It turns out, it was an excellent read. Fast-paced, thrilling, suspenseful, original, dark, disturbing, and all around entertaining. I continued with the series, caught up with Archie Sheridan and his horrific connection with the woman who tried to kill him, Gretchen Lowell, the Beauty Queen Killer.
As a victim of Stockholm syndrome, Archie both loved and hated the woman who poured drain cleaner down his throat, removed his spleen without anesthesia, and carved him up like a piece of raw meat. The story between the two characters was intense, deeply disturbing, and insanely intriguing. I couldn't stop reading. I had to finish each book within the day. It was simultaneously horrifying and compelling to read through Archie's damaged thoughts and actions. He was a pill-popping, unfaithful, slightly deranged cop with great detective skills and a misguided heart. He was messed up and I still loved him for it.
5 books later and I'm just about ready to give up.
I will not deny that Chelsea Cain is an excellent writer. She never fails in that aspect. However, it seems that she's gotten stuck with a formula or a pattern. After the second book, I have to say that everything kind of went down hill. I barely remember the third book, which is never good.
In this book, Gretchen is finally locked up, Archie is out of the psych ward, Susan is being Susan, Henry is recovering from his injuries from the previous installment, and so it goes. For some reason, I was expecting more character development for ALL the characters, including Gretchen, but I didn't see much of it. Sure, Archie's not popping pills anymore but he keeps them in his pocket and hides them away in his pill cabinet and sure, he's not chasing after Gretchen anymore but another serial killer, but he's still suffering from her sadistic hold over him and is having a really hard time moving on. Susan is still trying to get a story and secure Archie's affections, Henry is trying to protect Archie as usual and hating Gretchen with every fiber of his being, Gretchen is still manipulative, and everyone else is just existing in their world. Their very familiar, static world of mystery, death and sex.
The ONLY developments in this story are the revelation of Gretchen's background, the progression of Henry and Claire's relationship, and Archie's slight–if not flawed–recovery process. Those elements were honestly the best part of this story. Everything else seemed contrived, formulaic, and all too familiar.
As usual, there's a mystery to be solved, Susan is trying and succeeding in getting involved, Archie's still under Gretchen's influence (and unexpectedly begins a relationship with some young thing in his building who, of course, looks like Gretchen). For a moment it looked like Archie was taking a step back into the real world but it is probably the smallest step I've ever seen. I want to understand Archie, but at this point, I just keep wondering "WHAT THE HELL, ARCHIE?" I want him to wake up and change even just a little bit, but deep down, I know that's not how it works. He's not a superhuman, so I know it's gonna take time for him to recover. But goddamnit, I want to see him with Susan so that they can both be happy! I feel like that's not gonna happen anytime soon, and if it does, it probably won't be at the level I (and possibly others) want. And I have to say that Susan is becoming such a caricature of herself, it's painful. She always seems to find herself in harm's way and the way the stories play out in each book, her involvement almost seems like a gimmick. I want her to grow and mature and be safe, but...no.
I'm not saying this book was a waste of time; it was still an interesting read. A great read, actually. But if you're expecting some sliver of change in any of the characters we've come to love and hate, I can honestly say it will be quite the disappointment.
2 stars for the writing and the careful unravelling of the mystery. 1 star for Claire and Henry. The other two stars have been deducted due to the static or very unlikable character development of Susan, Archie and Gretchen.
It turns out, it was an excellent read. Fast-paced, thrilling, suspenseful, original, dark, disturbing, and all around entertaining. I continued with the series, caught up with Archie Sheridan and his horrific connection with the woman who tried to kill him, Gretchen Lowell, the Beauty Queen Killer.
As a victim of Stockholm syndrome, Archie both loved and hated the woman who poured drain cleaner down his throat, removed his spleen without anesthesia, and carved him up like a piece of raw meat. The story between the two characters was intense, deeply disturbing, and insanely intriguing. I couldn't stop reading. I had to finish each book within the day. It was simultaneously horrifying and compelling to read through Archie's damaged thoughts and actions. He was a pill-popping, unfaithful, slightly deranged cop with great detective skills and a misguided heart. He was messed up and I still loved him for it.
5 books later and I'm just about ready to give up.
I will not deny that Chelsea Cain is an excellent writer. She never fails in that aspect. However, it seems that she's gotten stuck with a formula or a pattern. After the second book, I have to say that everything kind of went down hill. I barely remember the third book, which is never good.
In this book, Gretchen is finally locked up, Archie is out of the psych ward, Susan is being Susan, Henry is recovering from his injuries from the previous installment, and so it goes. For some reason, I was expecting more character development for ALL the characters, including Gretchen, but I didn't see much of it. Sure, Archie's not popping pills anymore but he keeps them in his pocket and hides them away in his pill cabinet and sure, he's not chasing after Gretchen anymore but another serial killer, but he's still suffering from her sadistic hold over him and is having a really hard time moving on. Susan is still trying to get a story and secure Archie's affections, Henry is trying to protect Archie as usual and hating Gretchen with every fiber of his being, Gretchen is still manipulative, and everyone else is just existing in their world. Their very familiar, static world of mystery, death and sex.
The ONLY developments in this story are the revelation of Gretchen's background, the progression of Henry and Claire's relationship, and Archie's slight–if not flawed–recovery process. Those elements were honestly the best part of this story. Everything else seemed contrived, formulaic, and all too familiar.
As usual, there's a mystery to be solved, Susan is trying and succeeding in getting involved, Archie's still under Gretchen's influence (and unexpectedly begins a relationship with some young thing in his building who, of course, looks like Gretchen). For a moment it looked like Archie was taking a step back into the real world but it is probably the smallest step I've ever seen. I want to understand Archie, but at this point, I just keep wondering "WHAT THE HELL, ARCHIE?" I want him to wake up and change even just a little bit, but deep down, I know that's not how it works. He's not a superhuman, so I know it's gonna take time for him to recover. But goddamnit, I want to see him with Susan so that they can both be happy! I feel like that's not gonna happen anytime soon, and if it does, it probably won't be at the level I (and possibly others) want. And I have to say that Susan is becoming such a caricature of herself, it's painful. She always seems to find herself in harm's way and the way the stories play out in each book, her involvement almost seems like a gimmick. I want her to grow and mature and be safe, but...no.
I'm not saying this book was a waste of time; it was still an interesting read. A great read, actually. But if you're expecting some sliver of change in any of the characters we've come to love and hate, I can honestly say it will be quite the disappointment.
2 stars for the writing and the careful unravelling of the mystery. 1 star for Claire and Henry. The other two stars have been deducted due to the static or very unlikable character development of Susan, Archie and Gretchen.
elinacre's review against another edition
4.0
hot damn, i do love this series! not for the faint of heart...cain gets pretty effing descriptive with her grisly murdery scenes. like whoa. how is this not a movie or tv series or something yet?!? yowww!
denaiir's review against another edition
5.0
so happy to learn more about Gretchen, can't wait to see what she does next
thegeekyblogger's review against another edition
5.0
Listened for Fun (Library Book)
Overall Rating: 5.00
Story Rating: 5.00
Character Rating: 5.00
Audio: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought When Finished: Holy twisty turny ......
Story Thoughts: Oh my! I thought that Gretchen couldn't get any more manipulative and boy was I wrong. If you are a fan of the series then you are going to have flashes of the first book dancing through your head. Kill You Twice was absolutely on par with Heartsick. In fact, I think it was even better. This is the kind of serial killer twisty manipulation that gets the heart pumping and the mind working over time. In other words, the story was totally made of win.
Character Thoughts: Plain and simple: Gretchen was more Gretchen, Archie was more Archie, and Susan is finally starting to hold her own with these two. The characters were amazing in Kill You Twice! It was a perfect mix of trepidation, smartness, manipulation, and "OMG" character moments.
Audio Thoughts
I think Christina does a great job with this series on audio. She only has done books 4 and 5 but she is a good fit emotionally with these characters. She brings them to life with great pacing and nuances. I will be sticking with this on audio if she continues to narrate.
Final Thoughts: Kill You Twice is the best in the series so far and I can't wait for the next one!
Overall Rating: 5.00
Story Rating: 5.00
Character Rating: 5.00
Audio: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought When Finished: Holy twisty turny ......
Story Thoughts: Oh my! I thought that Gretchen couldn't get any more manipulative and boy was I wrong. If you are a fan of the series then you are going to have flashes of the first book dancing through your head. Kill You Twice was absolutely on par with Heartsick. In fact, I think it was even better. This is the kind of serial killer twisty manipulation that gets the heart pumping and the mind working over time. In other words, the story was totally made of win.
Character Thoughts: Plain and simple: Gretchen was more Gretchen, Archie was more Archie, and Susan is finally starting to hold her own with these two. The characters were amazing in Kill You Twice! It was a perfect mix of trepidation, smartness, manipulation, and "OMG" character moments.
Audio Thoughts
Narrated By Christina Delaine / Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
I think Christina does a great job with this series on audio. She only has done books 4 and 5 but she is a good fit emotionally with these characters. She brings them to life with great pacing and nuances. I will be sticking with this on audio if she continues to narrate.
Final Thoughts: Kill You Twice is the best in the series so far and I can't wait for the next one!